pork
( sometimes known as Fitchett Pie )
serves 4
450g / 1lb potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
350g / 12oz gammon, rind and fat removed, diced into 1cm /
1/2 inch cubes
2 large onions, sliced into rings
3 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
10ml / 2tsp sugar
3ml / 1/2tsp dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
300ml / 1/2 pint vegetable or
meat stock
225g / 8oz shortcrust ( pie crust ) pastry
Put a layer of sliced potatoes in the bottom of a 1.1L / 2 pint pie
dish. Cover this with a layer of gammon, a layer of sliced onion, and
then a layer of apple. Sprinkle well with sugar.
Repeat these layers until the pie dish is full, ending with a layer
of gammon. Sprinkle with the thyme, and season well. Pour in
just enough stock to cover the filling.
Roll out the pastry to make a pie crust, about 5mm /
1/4 inch thick. Cut out a lid and cover the top
of the dish.
Bake the pie in the top of a pre-heated oven at 1800C /
3500F / Gas mark 4, for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is
golden. Then, transfer the pie to a lower shelf and cook for a further
55 minutes.
If the top seems to be browning too much, cover the pastry with
foil.
The apple-onion-meat mixture harks back to the medieval way of
combining sweet and savoury tastes, and suggests that it is a truly well
tried recipe.